Idsall School Home Learning Policy
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Idsall School
Home Learning Policy
Sponsorship & Review
1 Sponsor
Mr M Bishton, Deputy Head
2 Reviewed and Approved
April 2019
3 Next Revision Date
April 2021
P age |1Rationale
This policy statement has been produced to provide a coherent framework from which all
departments can develop a consistent and effective approach for students of all ages and
levels of ability.
Home learning is seen as one of the principal ways in which student achievement can be
raised.
The benefits of home learning must be instilled at an early age in all students, so that
independent home study becomes routine.
The aim of this policy document is therefore to:
· enable students to understand that independent learning is vital to achieving success
· give every student the opportunity to fulfil their potential
· instil in all students the importance of life-long learning
· provide training for students in planning and organising time
· promote a responsibility for learning within each student
For home learning to be effective, it has to be stimulating and challenging whilst being
supported through the quality of the teaching and learning occurring in a classroom.
It is on this basis that this policy should not be seen in isolation but as part of the teaching
and learning in Idsall School. This policy and the Teaching and Learning Policy contribute to
raising attainment and the quality of the educational experience we provide to students and
parents.
The Purposes of Home Learning
There are various reasons for setting home learning, examples of which are:
To encourage students to develop the confidence and self-discipline to work on their
own – an essential skill for adult life.
To consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding.
To extend school learning, for example, through additional reading.
To enable students to devote time to particular demands such as GCSE assessment
preparation or project work.
To involve parents/carers as partners in education, to support the home - school
relationship.
To prepare for test/examinations
To further challenge and extend gifted, talented and more able students.
To provide focused and sustained support for less able students.
The Principles Underlying the Home Learning Policy
Students must take full responsibility for their homework and should be supported by their
parents/carers.
The school has an expectation for each subject to set home learning on a regular basis. The
actual days that home learning is set on and collected in will vary each year depending on
the school timetable and the teaching arrangements for individual teachers.
P age |2Home learning should be issued in appropriate quantities considering student workload, and
completion dates should be both clear and reasonable. The issuing of home learning should
also consider the home environment and extracurricular activities of students, including
family and cultural obligations.
Home learning should be carefully planned and be an integral part of course work. It should
not be seen as an “add-on” or a dispensable extra.
Home learning should match the needs and abilities of students, and should be differentiated
for access and challenge for individual needs.
Home learning should promote opportunities for consolidation and extension.
Home learning is related to current work and where possible is stimulating and challenging.
Students should be adequately prepared for the completion of tasks set i.e. they are not to
complete home learning where the topic has not been covered in class, unless it is a
research based extension opportunity or flipped learning.
Homework should not be restricted to certain subject areas. It should reflect the breadth and
balance of the curriculum.
Below is a guideline of the expectation for homework set across the curriculum at Idsall
School.
· KS3 at least one home learning activity for every 4 hours of teaching.
· Activities should take approximately 30 minutes.
· KS4 at least one home learning activity for every 3 hours of teaching.
· Activities should take approximately 45-60 minutes.
KS5 to include a variety of activities that can be completed during study time in
school and at home. These may be formal pieces of work such as exam questions or
essays, or more informal ‘wider reading’ or research to support gaining a greater
breadth and depth of understanding of key topics. A guide is that for every hour of
taught study, there should be an hour of home learning.
Types of Home Learning
Practice exercises – providing students with the opportunities to apply new knowledge, or
review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills, including:
consolidation activities
practising for mastery e.g. spelling words
revising information about a current topic
practising words of phrases learned in a language other than English
reading a prescribed text or for pleasure
essay writing
practising skills needed to demonstrate effectiveness e.g. sport, music, art.
P age |3Preparatory home learning – providing opportunities for students to gain background
information on a unit of study so that they are better prepared for future lessons, including:
background reading
reading e.g. English text for class discussion
researching topics for a class unit of work (flipped learning)
collecting items e.g. geometric shapes
Extension assignments – encouraging students to pursue knowledge individually and
imaginatively, including:
writing e.g. a book review
preparation for formal/informal oral presentations
making or designing something e.g. an art work
investigations e.g. science, social science
researching e.g. history, local news
information and retrieval skills e.g. using a home computer to find material on the
internet
monitoring e.g. advertising in particular newspapers
Home learning and key assessments
Teachers may choose to link home learning activities so that they feed in to an assessment.
This type of home learning would then be used in the classroom to improve the assessed
piece of work. Examples of this form of additional research may include watching videos
online of a topic, or preparing a draft piece of writing.
Schools, however, should have regard for equity issues when setting home learning that
relies upon the use of technology. Students who do not have access to such technology at
home should not be disadvantaged.
Organisation of Home Learning
All students have a Study Planner, which they must have with them in each lesson. They are
to record any home learning set by the teacher in their Study Planner.
The teacher must also publish any home learning set on the Satchel: One (Show My
Homework), system (see below).
If there are resources associated with the home learning (e.g. worksheets or website links),
then the teacher will include these in the homework notification.
Students, parents and carers have access to Satchel: One (Show My Homework), system
either by:
Accessing the public website link at: https://idsall.satchelone.com
Via the school website (Quick Links) at: http://www.idsallschool.org
Via the Satchel: One (Show My Homework) App-accessible on PC, tablet or
smartphone
(All students, carers and parents are given access to the Satchel: One (Show My
Homework), system-this is managed by the school’s ICT Technical staff).
NOTE: In time, we are working towards only recording homework on the Satchel: One
(Show My Homework), system.
P age |4School Practice
Senior Leadership Team
SLT must ensure that the development of home learning programmes in departments is
monitored and evaluated over time.
The SLT will take responsibility for informing parents of the whole school home learning
policy in Idsall School.
The SLT will inform parents of:
the aims of the home learning policy
the use of the School Planner and Satchel: One (Show My Homework).
how best they can support their child’s study
Departments
Departments should include within their Assessment and Feedback Policy, a statement on
home learning that outlines the Departmental approach and that is based on whole school
principles and practice.
Departments must plan, prepare and implement realistic and manageable programmes of
homework, maintain accurate records of completion and non-completion of home learning.
Where appropriate the teachers will make mention of home learning when reporting to
parents.
The Head of Department must ensure that:
the whole school policy is embedded firmly in departmental provision
regular monitoring and review of departmental provision takes place
teachers keep up to date records of home learning completed.
Teachers
The subject teacher is responsible for setting appropriate home learning. This does not
always produce a piece of work to be marked but may be flipped learning where students
are asked to read, watch a video or revise key ideas in preparation for lessons.
When home learning is set, the teacher should ensure that there is more than one day
between the time it is set and the deadline for completion. This is to allow students to plan
their time; get involved in out of school activities if they wish and still to be able to complete
their home learning.
We will use the Line Management structure that is in place for each department to ensure
that teachers in each department are setting homework according to this policy.
Teachers should ensure that home learning issued is recorded by all students in the Student
Planner and is presented on Satchel: One (Show My Homework).
The Role of Parents/Carers
Parents/carers should support students with their home learning, but accept that their role
will diminish as students become independent learners.
P age |5Parents/carers should try to provide a reasonable space where students can work at home
or be encouraged to use the facilities at school. The school has a “Study Zone” during the
Session 6 activity time after school each day. This takes place in the Library where there is
access to resources, books and the internet.
Parents/carers should encourage and help students to be organised in order to meet all
home learning deadlines.
Parents/carers are encouraged to make it clear to students that they too value home
learning and support the school in its views that it will help students to make the best
progress.
Parents/carers are encouraged to praise when students complete home learning to the
correct standard and hand it in on time.
The Role of Students
Students should always carry their Study Planners with them in each lesson.
Students should record the home learning that is set in their Study Planners – even if they
have a record of it in their exercise books or the teacher is posting it on Satchel: One (Show
My Homework).
Students must accept that they must meet deadlines.
If a student is absent, they should find out what work they have missed, including home
learning, and still endeavour to complete the work by the given deadline. If this is not
possible, students are encouraged to talk to their class teacher to get an extended deadline.
Being absent on the day home learning is set is not an excuse for not completing it.
If a student has trouble with completing the work, they are encouraged to talk with their class
teacher before the deadline in order to resolve any problems.
Students should take pride in doing their best work at all times.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Senior Leadership Team will carry out a continuous process of monitoring the
effectiveness of the Home Learning Policy.
SLT, Learning Managers and Tutors will regularly check the use of Student Planners.
A review of the effectiveness of the policy will be carried out regularly. This should involve
consultation with staff and a sample of parents and students. Where further good practice is
identified, this will be shared across the school.
Failure to Complete Home Learning
Any system to ensure the completion of home learning must ultimately involve working in
partnership with parents/carers and the students involved. The following system should be
used to ensure a consistency of approach across all departments:
P age |6Please see the school behaviour policy with regards to failure to complete
home learning
P age |7Appendix A
Parent Checklist for Helping Your Child with Home Learning
Show that you think Education and Home Learning are important:
· set a regular time every day for homework
· ensure your child has paper, books, pencils and other things needed to do
assignments
· set a good example by reading and writing yourself
· stay in touch with your child’s teacher
Monitor assignments:
· Do you know what your child’s home learning assignments are? How long should
they take?
· Do you know how the teacher wants you to be involved?
· Do you see that assignments are started and completed?
· Do you read the teacher’s comments on assignments that are returned?
· Is TV/Screen viewing cutting into your child’s home learning time?
· Do you check your child’s Student Planner on a regular basis?
Provide guidance:
· understand and respect your child’s style of learning
· does he/she work better alone or with someone else? Does he/she learn best when
he/she can see things, hear them, or handle them?
· help your child to get organised. Does your child need a calendar or assignment
book or a bag for books and a folder for papers?
· encourage your child to develop good study habits (e.g. scheduling enough time for
big assignments; making up practice tests)
· do you talk with your child about home learning assignments? Does he/she
understand them?
· do you and your child talk about plagiarism and its consequences?
Talk with someone at school when problems come up:
· if a problem comes up, do you contact the teacher?
· do you cooperate with the Class Teacher / Head of Department /Learning Manager
and your child to work out a plan and schedule to fix home learning problems?
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